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...middle English (from Chaucer, G, Prologue, late C14 ) And frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly, After the scole of stratford atte bowe, For frenssh of parys was to hire unknowe. 6

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A little German and Dr Johnson licht light haus house verloren forlorn Ache. Dr Johnson thought it came from the Greek akhos, and “ignorant of the origins of the word” (OED) changed the spelling from ake in his dictionary. But he’s not responsible for ought, bought, sought. fought, brought, thought, enough, rough, tough cough, trough bough plough thorough borough through although though dough 7

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Brain cells and connections (from The Learning Brain, Blakemore and Frith, 2005) As we learn, brain cells form connections with each other that build into networks. These connections are strengthened with practice. 8

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The brain adapts itself to different languages Reading Aloud in English and Italian, evidence from brain scans (active areas in black) Left: reading system of English and Italian combined Centre: sound processing more active in Italian Right: word form area more active in English (should, shoulder, hypocrite, hypodermic) (from The Learning Brain, Blakemore and Frith, 2005) 10

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Explaining fuzzy logic to children... Do they behave themselves all of the time – or most of the time? Is mum or dad (or teacher) in a good mood all of the time – or most of it? The language is 1000 years old. If we were, we’d have wrinkles too. We use what the letters tell us, but we don’t believe the letters tell us everything. 11

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Slimmed Down Spelling 1 – what we can hear. Most letters represent sounds. Sometimes letters work in groups, some words have an extra letter, and occasionally letters are awkward. If we hear a sound when we say a word carefully, we need at least one letter for it. This is the phonic element in spelling, and it works around 70% of the time. 12

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Slimmed Down Spelling 2 – what we need to learn. Sometimes letters work in groups – we use a group when we’ve learned we need it, eg, station Some words have an extra letter, eg made, chaos. We use an extra letter when we’ve learned we need it. There is usually only one in any word. Sometimes, because of shortcuts in speech, or changes in the way people speak, the letter we need is not the one we think we need. These letters are awkward, and we only use them when we’ve learned we need them. Examples include the final a in animal, and the a after with in was, water, warm etc. 13

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...and a note on vowels. A vowel is a sound made with the voice. Without a voice sound, we wouldn’t be able to hear the word. Roi (king) – royal. Voix (voice) – vouielle - vowel. We have around 24 voice sounds, and seven voice letters aeiou (single) yw (double) English vowel letters are often used in combination, and each can produce more than one sound. Therefore, information from vowels often has to be interpreted in the context of individual words. This is “fuzzy logic”. 14

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hints... Most spelling mistakes involve leaving a letter out – children need to learn to say words slowly and carefully when they are learning to spell them. If a child is stuck on a word, I don’t teach that one straightaway, but go to another that has the same pattern. I return to the original word once the pattern is secure. The four elements in Slimmed Down Spelling need to be practised, so that children have a reason for deciding to write each letter – they can either hear it, or have learned it. If they haven’t learned a word needs an extra letter or has a pattern, they don’t use it – then they can learn that the word needs it. We almost never learn a word without learning another that is like it. Practice should be systematic, and gradually home in on the words a child is not sure of. Blank playing cards make professional-looking flashcards that can be tailored to individual needs. 15

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We never copy... Jerking our eyes back and forth between the original and our own version disrupts the formation of neural connections, and makes learning slower. Instead, we study the word, then look away and trace it on our sleeve, or write it independently on scrap paper. Once it’s right, we insert it in our writing independently, and try to make a point of using new words we’ve learned. 16

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We practise our writing. Learning to form letters with an exit stroke, or joining stroke, sets up the correct pressure pattern for joined writing. Joining writing helps us to see letters in groups, and sets up a kinetic learning channel. French squared paper provides more guidance than most English paper. Because of differences in brain development, boys tend to need more practice than girls. 17